Non-admission of asymptomatic patients may be the option: Dr. Jayaruwan Bandara

Non-admission of asymptomatic COVID-19 patients to hospitals for indoor treatment will be the option if the caseload increases exponentially, an official said yesterday.

Dr Jayaruwan Bandara, who has been requested to work as the spokesman of the Health Ministry told Daily Mirror this in response to speculation about the government looking at such a possibility.

He said more than 80 per cent of COVID-19 patients who are currently under treatment are asymptomatic. Sri Lanka now has well over 7,000 cases reported in the country. Nearly 4,000 of them have recovered.

Sri Lanka is currently experiencing the newest outbreak of COVID-19. It started with the discovery of a garment factory worker attached to Brandix tested positive. The case was reported from the community for the first time after a gap of two months.

However, he said no such decision had been taken at the moment. “At the moment, no such decision has been taken. If the number of cases increases beyond limits, it may be the option,” he said.

COVID-19 is spreading fast globally at the moment. Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned last Friday that the global pandemic situation would be critical in the coming months.

"We are at a critical juncture in this pandemic, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere. The next few months are going to be very tough," Tedros said.(Kelum Bandara)